Make It Up As We Go
by lamujergris
Summary: Lily has lusted after Scorpius for years, but is afraid he'll never see her as more than a friend. What happens after a drunken one night stand? Includes many of the other next generation Weasley grandchildren.
1. Chapter One

Author's note: None of this is mine. All belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm in the middle of another story right now, but I had inspiration for this one, so decided to start it anyway. Review and let me know what you think!

Chapter One

"Fabulous, Lily darling. Absolutely fabulous."

Lily Luna Potter smiled at her older brother as he perched atop her dresser. Albus had just finished applying a thick layer of makeup to his favorite model's face, and then she had donned a tight white dress and stiletto heels. The pair were joining their friends for a night out on the town, and Lily couldn't be more excited.

Albus jumped down and ruffled his hair as he stared at himself in the mirror. "Being in a relationship makes me so complacent about my appearance. I just never feel like I have to try anymore."

Lily snorted. This was complacent? Albus had spent nearly an hour choosing his outfit. She couldn't be too judgmental though—having a gay brother had been a blessing growing up. And she was truly happy for her brother—after struggling with bullies all through Hogwarts, he finally found happiness in the outside world. Even though Evan was slightly older than Albus, they genuinely made each other happy. Albus had met Evan while on assignment covering a muggle fashion show in New York City, and shocked the family when he brought his new boyfriend back to London from the states. Albus worked as a fashion correspondent for the wizarding magazine _Robes_, and Evan was perfectly content to design his own fashion from London, occasionally apparating to New York to discuss his designs and assist with production. Even better, Evan had decided to use Albus' female cousins and sister as models and muses every once in a while.

Dominique was the obvious choice. Along with her older, now married, sister Victorie, and younger brother Louis, Dominique had inherited her mother's veela qualities. The three children had the shiny blonde hair, flawless skin, and blue eyes. The fact that they spoke fluent French didn't hurt their charm, either. When Evan moved to the U.K., he became instantly infatuated with Dominique, saying that she would serve as the perfect model for his new designs. Of course Dom, who wasn't afraid to show off her good looks and use them to her advantage, accepted the offer, and was frequently invited to Evan and Albus' flat to try on new designs. She had quite the reputation as a seductress, much to the dismay of Victorie, who had settled down young with her husband, Teddy Lupin. Dominique had a rocky relationship with her older sister, and frequently did outrageous things just to cause a scandal. While Victorie had settled into a quite home life, Dominique was often seen out and about, and her good looks had earned her a regular spot in many of the wizarding tabloids. She still didn't have a career path, and although her parents were starting to push her toward a permanent job, she flitted between retail gigs in Diagon Alley shops and fashion spreads in muggle magazines. As Dom had told Lily in the Gryffindor common room during her seventh year, "I just don't think I'm cut out for academia, you know?"

Lily herself had taken after her mother and gone into journalism. Ginny, Lily's mother, was one of the leading Quidditch correspondents for the Daily Prophet, but Lily had decided to pursue a career in news broadcasting. She had only been out of Hogwarts for a year, and was stuck in an entry level position for the newspaper. Because of her probie status, she frequently traveled up and down the English countryside, covering small events and interviewing witches or wizards of interest. She hoped to one day be a senior political correspondent, covering major events in the Ministry of Magic, but refused to allow her father's fame and connections to assist her in getting that job.

Rose, Lily's older cousin, was the most serious and studious of the group. She'd been sorted into Ravenclaw, much to the dismay of her Gryffindor family members, but had excelled at almost everything she tried. After acing her OWLs and NEWTs, she'd gotten a job working as a personal assistant to the Minister of Magic. Although Rose could be completely out of touch with her cousins (she didn't even understand Quidditch!) she would occasionally let her hair down and have a good time with them.

"So, is there reason for that sexy dress?" Albus' question pulled Lily out of her reverie.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She responded casually, moving next to him to glance at her own reflection in the mirror. She fluffed out her straight red hair, admiring the way it looked gold in the fluorescent light. Unlike her mother and cousins, her hair was a more strawberry color than their flaming red. It contrasted nicely with the green flecks of her golden eyes.

"Bullshit. I know how you get when you know Scorpius is going to be around." Albus laughed, and his piercing green eyes shining excitedly.

"Well, it doesn't matter how I get, because it's never gonna happen. Scorpius doesn't see me that way." Lily blushed a little and turned away from her brother to hide it.

"Oh yes he does, he just can't admit it yet." Albus smoothed the back of Lily's hair down. "Come on, its almost time to leave." He wrapped her shawl around her shoulders and gallantly offered her his arm.

The pair walked down the stairs, Lily teetering in her tall heels. Thank goodness for Albus propping her up, she honestly didn't know what she'd do without him.

"You kids heading out?" Harry asked, looking up from his book as he sat in front of the fireplace in the front parlor. Lily and Albus nodded. "Have fun! Tell everyone we send our love."

"Yes, and tell your brother that we expect to see him around for dinner. It's been weeks." Ginny yelled from the kitchen.

"We will." Albus replied. "Bye Mum, bye Dad. See you soon."

Lily waved and followed her brother out the door and down the steps of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. As they made their way arm in arm down the dark London streets, Lily let her mind wander to Scorpius Malfoy. Despite trying to play it cool with her brother, she couldn't deny to herself that she was crazy about the man. She'd had a crush on Scorpius since she was about ten years old, when Albus and James brought him home for the summer after Albus' first year at Hogwarts. Although James was a Gryffindor, Albus had been sorted into Slytherin, and immediately befriended Scorpius. Over the years, Lily and James had been very grateful to Scoripus for defending their brother and his sexuality against the constant taunts and bullying from students of all Hogwarts houses. It hadn't been easy for a sexually confused teenager at boarding school, but Scorpius had been loyal and understanding.

Scorpius was also particularly close with Rose, because they had both become prefects in their fifth year and were Head Boy and Head Girl in their seventh. Lily's deepest fear would be that the pair would end up as more than friends, but thankfully all those nights spent together in the library had simply led to a mutual interest in academic pursuits. Although Rose had no idea that Lily garnered a serious crush on Scorpius, Albus had flat out asked her if there would ever be a romantic interest between them. Rose, taken aback by the question, had assured her cousin that there would never be anything more there. In fact, Albus and Lily were staring to wonder if their studious cousin would ever take an interest in anyone. She was so caught up in her own world she seemed not to notice all the attention she got from men.

Although Scorpius was extremely intelligent and dedicated to his studies, he knew how to let loose and have fun more than Rose did. He was fairly outgoing, but had a warm heart and didn't hold grudges or dislike anyone. According to Lily's parents, this was quite the opposite of his father, but even through all their years of friendship, none of the Potters or Weasleys had been invited to stay with Scorpius at his family's mansion.

Lily had no idea what to do about her unrequited love. Scorpius was already gaining acclaim in his career at the Department of Mysteries, doing top secret work for the Ministry. He was talented, charming, and devastatingly handsome. His deep blue eyes and sandy blonde hair made her melt every time she saw him, but she had no idea how to proceed with her crush. They had never really hung out alone—he was always around with her family and friends, but she feared that he only saw her as the little sister of Albus and James and the younger cousin of Rose and Dominique, who were prettier and more talented.

Lily and Albus reached their destination, and entered the loud restaurant to find their friends and relatives already conversing at the largest table near the bar. James stood, pulled Lily into a massive bear hug, and clapped Albus on the back. Lily smiled; she missed her oldest brother. He was always on assignment working with dragons in Ireland and Wales, but came home every weekend to catch up with his family. Recently, though, he'd been avoiding Grimmauld Place—Lily wondered why he didn't want to see their parents. She made a mental note to question him about this later.

Albus found Evan, kissed him lovingly, then sat down to join the conversation. Lily glanced around the table, appraising the group before her. Dominique was the center of attention, as always, seemingly unaware of the men drooling over her from the bar. Rose and Hugo, her brother, were sitting at the end of the table, deep in conversation with Molly, Lucy, Fred and Roxanne, some of Lily's other older cousins. James was laughing hysterically, and she heard a "Fuck off, James!" from Albus' end of the table. But there was someone missing…

"Aren't you going to sit?" someone whispered in her ear, and she whipped around to see Scorpius gazing down at her.

"Oh..uh..yeah. I might get a drink first." She tried to slide past him towards the bar, but he followed closely behind.

"Two firewhiskey." Scorpius motioned the bartender, who nodded and started to pour their drinks. "You look beautiful." He said to Lily appreciatively. She blushed and mumbled a quick thank you before leading Scorpius back to the table. He pulled her chair out for her and sat down next to her. Albus noticed this immediately and shot Lily a pointed look, which made her blush even more furiously.

The family and their friends chatted animatedly for the next hour, occasionally ordering rounds of drinks and appetizers. Several members of the family invited friends or significant others over, and Lily was having such a good time she didn't even feel self conscious that Scorpius was merely a few inches away from her.

Finally, Albus got drunk enough to drag his boyfriend and little sister onto the dance floor. James was sitting at the bar, chatting up a young American witch, and he laughed hysterically as Albus proceeded to dirty dance with their little sister. Lily threw her head back gleefully; she didn't mind. She had had plenty of firewhisky, and Albus was a fantastic dancer. Evan twirled her around out of her brother's grasp, and she tripped over her stilettos.

"Whoa, there, why don't I cut in?" Someone asked. Evan stepped back and allowed the stranger to take Lily around the waist. She looked up through her eyelashes and noticed that it was Scorpius offering to dance with her. _Well, this is a first,_ she thought. In her drunken state, she started grinding against Scorpius without even thinking about it, and he instinctively placed his hands on her lower back. The back of the restaurant was getting more and more crowded as more people made their way to the dance floor, and Lily noticed James pulling his American friend onto the floor behind them. The song changed to a hip hop tune with a heavy bass beat, and she threw herself into the dance with Scorpius, trying to get as close to him as possible. He reacted with enthusiasm, his hands straying lower and lower towards her ass, and finally his fingers began toying with the hem of her short white dress. Lily was intoxicated by the firewhisky, the strobe lights, the music, and the smell of Scorpius. Suddenly, a wave of drunken inspiration hit her, and she stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him full on the mouth. It took a moment for him to respond—he seemed shocked—but when he did, his lips crashed onto hers with an unrestrained passion that Lily had never felt before. Without warning, he started walking her backwards to the back of the bar, never breaking contact, until her back hit the wall of the hallway near the restrooms. Scorpius grabbed Lily's legs and hitched them around his waist, pushing his crotch against hers.

"What do you want to do to me?" Lily asked, trailing hot kisses down his neck.

"I want to fuck you. I've wanted to fuck you for so long, Lily Potter." Scorpius thrusted against her, causing her to moan.

"Then do it." She said forcefully. His eyes met hers, as if gauging whether or not she were serious. She nodded, and he lowered her back to her feet. Taking her hand, he disapparated back to his apartment, and Lily shivered with excitement of what was to come.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: I own nothing; all belongs to the lovely J.K. Rowling. Thanks for all of your reviews, and be sure to check out the other story I'm writing, called "The Potential for Something More" about Harry/Ginny Post DH.

Chapter Two

Scorpius awoke to the sound of someone softly breathing next to him. He cracked one eye open to investigate the source of the sound, and almost leaped out of bed when he realized who it was. Lily! Suddenly, the events of the previous evening came flooding back to him. She'd had a few too many drinks and had pulled him into the back room for a quick snog, which had progressed into apparition back to his place…and the rest was history.

It was a dream come true. He'd lusted after Lily since she went through puberty at Hogwarts. She was positively the best natured, sweetest girl he'd ever met, and it didn't hurt that she was drop dead gorgeous to boot. Everyone always considered Lily as the sidekick to her cousins—Rose was obviously the most intelligent, and Dominique the sexiest—but Scorpius liked that Lily was both smart and sexy in a subtle way. She wasn't obnoxious or conceited, and had no idea how wonderful she really was. He had been madly in love with her for ages.

The problem at Hogwarts, of course, had always been her brothers and their age difference. James had always been friendly towards Scorpius, but Scorpius didn't want to damage that friendship by hitting on the youngest Potter. James was, after all, not only a prankster, but also physically intimidating. Albus, on the other hand, had also had his own set of issues that needed to be taken care of, which kept the Potter/Weasley clan distracted and gave Scorpius plenty of time to spend with Lily under the guise of helping her brother through his years of bullying and identity confusion. It wasn't that Scorpius didn't value Albus as a friend—in fact, it was quite the opposite. If not for their immediate connection after both being sorted into Slytherin, Scorpius may have gotten a repuatation that was completely undeserved. Many of his peers admitted that they had feared he would maintain the level of conceit and propriety that his family was known for, but that wasn't the case at all. If anything, Scorpius wished he could get away from his family's reputation and backwards ideologies.

That was another problem. Even after graduating from Hogwarts, getting a prestigious job himself and watching Lily make her own way in the world, Scorpius had feared that his fantasies about her could never come true. While Harry and Ginny Potter had always been more than welcoming of him, he knew for certain that his family would not be so kind. There was a reason Albus and James had never meen invited to Malfoy Manor. If his parents and grandparents couldn't even accept Scorpius' relationship with a Potter, how would they ever get over his desire to marry one?

He was getting ahead of himself. While Lily was happily curled up next to him, there was no telling what her feelings genuinely were. She had, after all, been very drunk last night, and a part of him felt guilty for taking advantage of her. They'd been dancing, and she'd been _really_ into it, which was completely unexpected but definitely welcome. Then she'd kissed him—he had been so thrilled he could barely move—but he'd kissed her back. If she had initiated it, surely that meant she had been thinking about it?

Before Scorpius could ponder this any longer, the object of his affection stirred. She rolled over, cracked her eyes, then jerked awake. Quickly turning back to him, she looked terrified. He tried to smile comfortingly, but felt that he was failing. "Good morning." Was all he could manage to get out.

"Morning. Wow…" Lily pulled the sheet up around her body and sat up, smacking a palm against her forehead.

"Oh, God, I'm sorry, you must have a terrible hangover. Would you like some water? Sorry, I would have been more hospitable but I just woke up myself…"

"Water would be good." Lily said cautiously, and Scorpius moved to stand, but he suddenly realized he was naked under the sheet.

"Um.." he tried to inconspicuously slide on a pair of boxers, but feared that he looked completely discombobulated. After pouring two large glasses of water, rummaging around in his cupboard, and returning to the room with two pastries, he realized that Lily had already gotten dressed and was pacing the room with her eyes closed. "Is everything alright?" he asked quietly, terrified that she was regretting the decision.

"What?" her eyes snapped open. "Er, yes, everything's fine. I just forgot that I have somewhere to be today—work, I have to work—big story to type up, actually it's kind of boring really…"

"Oh, well if you have to go then, I understand." Scorpius didn't exactly know how to respond to that—he would need some time to lick his wounds and ponder his fate after she left…

She stopped pacing. "Yeah. I guess I'll just go then." Her tone was strange. It was as if she didn't actually want to leave, but now felt like she had to. Scorpius was totally confused, and had no idea what to say. She gathered her bag and shawl, and headed towards the door.

"Lily?" he called, turning to look at her right as she was exiting. She paused. "I had a really fantastic time last night. Just thought you should know."

"Yeah." She blushed. "Me too." The door slammed.

Scorpius put his head in his hands, wondering how in the world he would ever straighten things out.

Three days later, Lily and Dominique were shopping after work.

"So I might be seeing someone." Dominique mentioned casually as they flicked through racks of clothes in the new Diagon Alley boutique.

"What?" Lily nearly choked. The mere thought of Dominique dating was preposterous—Dominique was a maneater, and she'd never had a serious boyfriend in her life.

"Don't get your wand in a knot, Lil, it's nothing serious." Dominique flicked a stray lock of silvery hair out of her eyes.

"It's got to be more serious than usual if you're even mentioning it." Even though they two cousins were separated in age by three years, Lily was the relative Dominique told her secrets to. Despite being in the same year as James, who she was particularly close to, Dominique had found it difficult to open up to Rose because she was too studious, and Albus because they tended to be too similar. Lily had been on the receiving end of many rants about Victorie over the years, and the girls had a special bond.

"Well, you know him. Or, at least, you know of him."

"Who is it?" Lily demanded, happy that the conversation was going this direction first so that she could put off telling her cousin about the Scorpius incident for a while.

"It's Keenan Wood." Dominique muttered under her breath. Lily squealed. "Shh! Keep your voice down. Like I said, it's nothing serious."

"So how did you meet him? How did this happen?"

"Well, you know he was in Hogwarts with Victorie, and the bitch has been friends with him all these years without even introducing us. But anyway, I was bored the other night at one of those little get togethers she and Teddy are always having, so I snuck into the liquor closet. Much to my surprise, three shots of firewhisky later and in walks Keenan Wood, international Quidditch player. So he asked if he could join me and, well, you know." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"Wow. Dom, I wish I had your life. Having it off with a gorgeous athlete in a liquor closet at your sister's dinner party. You never cease to entertain."

"Yeah, so you know, we had a good shag and I figured that'd be the end of it." Lily was amazed how blasé her cousin could be about men and sex—she guessed it was the veela blood coming through. This kind of incident was not atypical for her beautiful cousin. "But afterwards he actually asked me for my number, which again wasn't that surprising, but the really surprising thing was he called me up later that night and asked if I could meet him for drinks."

"Did you?"

"Are you kidding, of course I did! Not only is he fantastic in the sack and straight up handsome, he's completely loaded. I could use a rich, hot boyfriend for arm candy." Dominique laughed. "Anyway, I ended up spending the night in his totally posh apartment and then we've been chatting constantly ever since."

"Wow. Never would have guessed it. The man who finally tamed the lioness. I'll have to congratulate him." Lily teased, and Dominique play-punched her shoulder.

"Ah, shut it. So anyway, what's new with you. We all know you and Scorpius just happened to disappear around the same time from the pub the other night, and then Albus started making all these suggestive comments like he knew something that the rest of us didn't. I just thought he was being a prat like always and pretending he's gossip queen of London, but you've been avoiding the subject all day, which I must admit is pretty suspicious. Spill."

"Well, there's nothing much to tell, really. I mean, we were both completely hammered, so of course it didn't mean anything…just two friends drunkenly taking advantage of a serendipitous circumstance."

"What didn't mean anything, exactly? Did you bang him?" Lily bit her lip and nodded, and now this time it was Dom's turn to squeal. "Oh my God! Was he good? What do you think about it? Are you going to try and hook up again?"

"Whoa, whoa! Slow down." Lily glanced nervously around the store and pretended to sort through some shirts on the rack in front of her. "Yes, he was fantastic. But I don't know what to think—I mean, we've been friends for years, you know? And he's so close to Al and James, I just really hope this doesn't make things awkward. As for hooking up again, we didn't really discuss it because he pretty much kicked me out the next morning, so I'm assuming that's not really an option."

"Well, would you want to?" Dominique asked.

"I mean, I wouldn't be opposed to it, I guess…"

"Come on, Lil, a man can't turn down sex if it's offered up to him on a silver platter. If you want it, he'll go for it, I promise. Now if that's the case, we need to find you some scandalous little outfits to make his pants much, much too tight while you taunt him from across the table at dinner next weekend…" Dominique dragged Lily to the back of the store, and the two girls giggled like mad at the idea.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: I own nothing. All belongs to J.K. Rowling, of course! Also, I've added links to who I picture for some of the main characters on my page. Check them out if you're interested, but don't if you're afraid it will ruin your own version of the characters!

Chapter Three

"What the FUCK is this?" Albus slammed the morning tabloid down on the table at the Diagon Alley café that he, Lily, Dominique, Evan and Rose had decided to meet at on Friday morning. "Why am I hearing about this from _As The Potion Brews_?"

Lily peered across Dominique to glance at the newspaper. The headline read, "Things heat up between Quidditch Pro and Weasley beauty—is the barhopping blonde finally settling down?" It featured a picture of Dominique and Keenan in a tight embrace in what appeared to be a back alley. Typical.

Dominique burst out laughing. "I swear, they'll do anything for a story. Do me a favor, Lil, and never stoop to this level of investigative journalism."

"Where was this taken, anyway?" Rose asked curiously, peeking at the tabloid as Evan and Albus sat down.

"Outside his flat. I was leaving." Dominique smiled slyly.

"You sneaky little bitch! How long has this been going on?" Albus practically screamed.

"Calm down, you belligerent fool, not long. Just about a week."

Albus glared at Lily. "Did you know about this?"

"She might have mentioned it. But only yesterday." Lily admitted sheepishly, and Dominique looked her mutinously.

"Lily has news too!" she loudly announced, and everyone turned their attention her way.

"Oh my God, you fucked Scorp, didn't you?" Albus almost screamed again. "Why are all of the women in my life hooking up with all these hotties and not telling me about it?"

"You think Scorpius is a hottie?" Rose laughed.

"Well of course I do! Sorry babe." Albus patted Evan's arm, but Evan merely grinned. "But I knew that boy was straight the moment I laid eyes on him. Tie all crooked, hair sticking every which way..and then it became more than obvious that he had feelings for Lily when he started moaning her name in his sleep…."

"He did what?" Lily choked and spit out some of her pumpkin juice.

"Half of Slytherin House heard him. You can ask the other boys from our year—it was terrible there for a while. Erotic dreams every night, and he would wake up not knowing why in the world he was so tired."

"Why have you never told me this?" Lily asked in a panicked, high pitched voice.

"I told you he has feelings for you, he just can't admit them to himself. It was right after you _finally _got your tits that he started having the dreams. They lasted, what, a few weeks I guess? And he's never looked at you the same since."

Lily was silent for a moment, processing this. Could Albus be right? Could Scorpius actually have feelings for her? For some reason, a memory suddenly popped into her head. It was her fourth year, and she was speeding along the Quidditch pitch in Gryffindor's first match of the season against Slytherin. James, who was captain and chaser, was yelling instructions, but Lily couldn't hear them because she was too high up, scanning the sky for a sight of the snitch. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a bludger struck her full force in the head, and everything went black.

She came to a few minutes later, her mother and father, Albus, and various other members of the family standing over her while Madame Pomfrey forced several potions down her throat. When she'd gotten around to asking what had happened, her father had explained that Scorpius had dropped the Quaffle and raced to catch her in midair after she fell off her broom. The two hit the ground together, but Scorpius cradled her head in his arms and had seemed absolutely frantic about the ordeal. Luckily, no major harm was done, and Ginny had spent the evening in the hospital wing with her daughter going over the various injuries she had endured as a professional Quidditch player. Lily had never thought much of this until now…

"Hello! Earth to Lily!" Albus smacked her on the hand. "Daydreaming about Scorpius, I'm sure…" he shook his head.

"I wish I had someone to daydream about." Rose said unexpectedly. Four sets of eyes snapped to her. "What? It's been a while, okay? And I've been thinking lately that I should try out dating again."

"It would be easier if you didn't have such high standards." Dominique said in a patronizing tone.

Lily watched as her cousins and brother snipped at each other, occasionally glancing at the adoring look Evan was giving Albus. Even though Evan wasn't contributing much to the conversation, he was completely content just being in Albus' presence. It really was quite remarkable—Albus had met the love of his life and convinced him to move across the ocean so they could be together. She thought she loved Scorpius, but her feelings for him were nowhere close to that, and there was no evidence that he wanted her in more than a physical capacity. Watching Albus and Evan was inspiring, but also terrifying. What if she never got that?

_Just do it, mate. _ Scorpius thought to himself. He'd written the letter over an hour ago, but still had yet to send it. His owl was perched on the windowsill, her head cocked curiously, waiting for his instructions. Scorpius read over the note again.

_Lily,_

_I really enjoyed our night together last weekend. I know we're going to see each other tomorrow, but everyone else will be there, and I really don't want to make things awkward. I was wondering if perhaps you'd consider coming to my place for dinner this evening so that we can talk about what happened and where we'd like to go from here. If you're not interested, I completely understand, but please know that I in no way want this to affect our friendship. I think very highly of you, and would never want to lose such a beautiful, intelligent person from my life._

_If you're interested, I'll have dinner ready at six o'clock. _

_Scorpius_

Should he have added "love" before his name? Would that freak her out? Finally, he decided to throw caution to the wind and sent the letter with his owl. He would be a nervous wreck until he got a response.

At ten minutes till six, Scorpius was pacing his living room, wearing his favorite button down shirt and slacks, the sleeves rolled up and the top button undone. He'd spent a solid twenty minutes ruffling his hair this way and that, unable to decide how Lily would like it.

He was terrified that she simply wouldn't show up. Flat out rejection with no response would be torture…he couldn't even bear the thought. Just as he was considering this though, there was a gentle knock at the door, and he raced forward and threw it open. Lily was standing there, out of breath, wearing plain jeans and a halter neck gold shirt. "Hi." Was all he could muster, his breathing shaky. "I was afraid you wouldn't come."

She simply smiled and walked past him into the living room. "It smells delicious. I didn't know you could cook."

"There's a lot you don't know about me." He grinned. "Have a seat, dinner will be ready soon."

Fifteen minutes later, the pair were chewing on their pasta in silence, awkwardly trying to make conversation. So far they had only reached the tabloid gossip about Dominique and Keenan. Finally, Lily pushed her plate back and cleared her throat. "Scorpius, I don't really understand why you invited me here tonight."

"Well, like I said, I had a good time with you but I don't want to make things awkward—"

"But we barely know each other! I mean, this is the most time we've ever spent alone in all the years we've known each other combined." She waved off his interruption. "I'm not upset about the other night, really. If you feel guilty and this is your way of trying to make it up to me, I appreciate it, but we were both drunk and these things happen…"

"I wasn't drunk."

"What?"

"I mean I'd had a few, but not nearly as many as you. I was serious, Lily. I've wanted you for years, and even though a voice in the back of my mind told me it was wrong to take advantage of you, I had to jump on the opportunity in case it never came again."

She didn't respond. He chewed the inside of his cheek. "So what do we do now?" she finally asked.

"I don't want to lose you as a friend." He said slowly. "I meant what I said, Lily. You're incredibly talented and beautiful. I like having you in my life in any capacity."

"So, we're just friends then? We can move on from this and go back to the way things were before?"

"If that's what you want, that's what we'll do."

She thought this over. That wasn't what she wanted. If she was honest with herself, she wanted so much more than just friendship with Scorpius. But he clearly only wanted sex, he was a man, after all…was she willing to put herself in a position to get her heart broken just to have him at all?

"What if that's not what I want?" She was suddenly overcome with the thought of what Dominique would do in this situation. She leaned closer to him. "What if I want to do it again?"

His eyes widened. "I, uh, I'd be okay with that too. More than okay, actually."

"So we could stay friends, but see what it's like sober?" she asked suggestively, placing her hand on his knee. _This is okay, right? _She asked herself. _Sex is better than nothing. _He merely nodded. She pounced.

An hour later, they were naked on the floor, completely spent. Lily was positively radiant—sex with Scorpius was SO much better sober. He was so creative, and passionate! They had been like hungry animals…all those positions…who knew he had it in him? Scorpius was lazily stroking the inside of her thigh, propped up on one elbow, gazing absently at the wall. As if he could feel her gaze on him, he turned, and his blue eyes caught hers. He grinned a breathtaking smile, and she wondered what on earth she had gotten herself into.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: I own nothing. All belongs to J.K. Rowling, of course!

Chapter Four

Lily loved getting ready to go out with her brother. Even though she still lived with their parents at Grimmauld Place (and occasionally their get-away home in Godric's Hollow), Albus would drop by to help her pick out the perfect outfit. Their gossip sessions always ended in fits of giggles and blaring showtunes from the portable stereo in the bathroom.

This week, Albus was all for Dominique's plan to seduce Scorpius through skimpy outfits and killer heels. He pawed through the new outfits Lily had bought, and they decided on a super short red skirt and glittery silver top. By the end of the evening, Lily's normally straight hair was wavy, and she had smoky grey eye make up. Her legs looked a mile long in her red high-heeled booties, and she had to admit that Albus had outdone himself. She felt sexier than ever, and it wasn't just because of the outfit. She hadn't left Scorpius' flat until six in the morning, sneaking back to her house in time to pretend to wake up and join her parents for Saturday brunch. The post-sex endorpins had kept her smiling all day. She now felt a little silly, considering they were just going to the same London pub as always, but the thought of taunting Scorpius was too good to pass up.

They strolled down the street, Lily in a black leather jacket, which made her feel even more badass. Unsurprisingly, the pair were some of the last ones at the table—it always took Albus and Lily forever to get ready. This week the family was joined by a few additions. Dominique was draped sexily over Keenan Wood's shoulder, which was gaining them looks from many envious men and women in the bar. Their combined beauty was almost too much to handle. The regular group of Weasley cousins were all there, except for James. Lily frowned to herself, wondering where her brother was. His behavior was very strange lately. Looking further down the table, she noticed another addition.

"Lorcan!" She smiled, and raced down the table to greet her old friend. The man stood up gracefully and embraced her. Lorcan and Lysander Scamander were childhood friends of Lily's—their parents were Luna Lovegood and Rolf Scamander, who had lived just over the hill from Lily's grandparents. Since she was the same age as the twins, they had all been particularly close in the years after Lily's brothers had left for Hogwarts, but unfortunately the boys had chosen to attend wizarding school in Scandinavia. The boys had stayed in touch, however, and even though they only saw each other on the occasional holiday, Lily still considered them great friends.

Lorcan smiled broadly. He looked exactly as she remembered—long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, broad shoulders, calm, grey eyes. "How are you, Lily? I've missed you."

"I'm fantastic! How are you? How's Lysander? And how long have you been in town?" she shot off questions at a rapid pace, and he chuckled at her enthusiasm.

"I'm fine. Lysander is fine. He's still hoping to hear back about a teaching position at our old school. And I just got into town this morning, and just happened to run into Rose, who invited me to tag along tonight." He blushed slightly. "I'm actually moving to London permanently. I got a job working at the Ministry—Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Spirit Division."

"That's great!" Lily smiled broadly and hugged her old friend again. "I'm so glad you're here! It will give us plenty of time to catch up." As she pulled away, she noticed Scorpius for the first time. He was leaning back in his chair, staring at her with a scowl on his face. Looking at him made her want to crawl into his lap and kiss him like mad, but she had to stick to the plan. She gave Lorcan a parting smile and moved to say hello to the rest of her friends.

Scorpius was on an emotional roller coaster. He felt like a girl. Half the time he thought Lily returned his feelings, and then the other half of the time he would crawl back into his self-concious hole of despair, wondering if she was only interested in a shag between friends. The previous night had been fantastic. After several rounds of passionate, hot sex, he'd been completely euphoric. Their connection was amazing, and even though he still had no idea how she felt about him, he decided that he was content to stay just like this for a while. But when Lily left that morning, he'd started doubting their decision. Even though their dinner date was supposed to be about defining their relationship, he'd ended up more confused than ever. Lily seemed to just want sex, and while he was happy to give it to her, he knew that eventually he would have to tell her how he felt or else end up brokenhearted.

He'd spent all day pondering the coming outing with all of the Weasleys. He'd have to grow a pair and just talk to her about it. He'd been watching the door all evening, and when she'd finally arrived wearing that amazing outfit, he was instantly aroused. This would be a difficult—and hopefully short—conversation. But instead of coming to him, she'd immediately run to this new man. Hatred burned toward this unknown stranger. The man was certainly attractive—he had white blonde hair pulled back in that annoyingly hipster way that women seemed to adore, and seemed to be quite muscular under his plain tshirt and jeans—but until Lily had arrived, the newcomer seemed quite shy. Their animated conversation had Scorpius ready to throw something.

Then, to make matters worse, when Lily finally DID catch his eye, she merely nodded at him and moved on to talk to Dominique and Keenan Wood, who was even better looking than this Lorcan person. Lily talking to all of these other men was seriously starting to give Scorpius a complex.

"Aww, jealous, are we?" a voice suddenly whispered in his ear. He turned to find Albus sitting next to him, a devious grin across the man's face.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Come on, Scorp. I'm your best friend. I may be gay, but I still understand jealously."

Scorpius sighed. This was going to get complicated. He desperately wanted to tell Albus about his feelings, because honestly Albus knew him better than most people, and could be quite useful in figuring out what to do in complex emotional situations. But Lily was Albus' sister—how could he explain that he had fucked her senseless the night before, and she appeared to be satisfied with this arrangement?

"I know you shagged her." Albus said casually, trailing his finger along the rim of his glass. "Don't worry, I'm not upset about it. I just wouldn't tell James quite yet—where is the bastard, anyway? He's positively fallen off the face of the earth."

Scorpius' eyes widened. "She told you that?"

"No, she told Dom, but you know Dom can't keep anything to herself."

Scorpius' eyes shifted to Dominique and Keenan, chatting with Lily and Fred Jr. at the other end of the table. Dominique was a snake, and he didn't particularly trust her. He'd learned a long time ago that beautiful women who understood their power over men tended to mean trouble. She was currently draped over Keenan, who looked like he was the luckiest man in the world to be on a date with such a gorgeous woman. Scorpius almost felt sorry for the bloke—he clearly didn't understand the power of a veela.

"I don't know what to do." Scorpius sighed, returning to the matter at hand.

"Well, do you like her?" Albus asked curiously, propping his chin in his hand.

"Yeah, I mean she's fantastic. She's smart and sexy, and she makes me laugh. But I honestly don't know her that well, and when we're alone, it's a little awkward. And I'm beginning to think all she wants is sex."

Albus burst out laughing. "Trust me, Scorp, if Lily is a sex maniac, it's only with you. She's had a major dry spell. Why don't you just ask her on a date like a normal person?"

That was the problem, Scorpius thought. If he started dating Lily in public, word would quickly get back to his parents. But, of course he couldn't tell Albus that. "I don't know." He paused, watching Lorcan talking to a seemingly disinterested Rose and her twin cousins Molly and Lucy. "Who is that guy?"

"Lorcan Scamander. He's a family friend."

"Why have I never met him?"

"He and his brother went to boarding school in Norway or something. Their mum is Lily's godmother—she's always gotten along with them best. James and I always thought they were a little strange, to be honest. And Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron can hardly stand to be in the same room with the twins and their parents for more than an hour or so at a time. My parents always got along with them fine, though. Especially mum. Anyway, we haven't seen them in ages. They only come round about once a year, so you don't have anything to worry about." Albus punched his arm and grinned mischievously.

Scorpius wasn't so sure about that. Lorcan kept glancing over at Lily, and it was making him uncomfortable. He knew he shouldn't pout, but he really just wanted to go wallow in self-pity for a while. It was, after all, the Malfoy way. Finally, after another half hour of chit chat with various Weasley cousins and their friends, he got up enough nerve to confront Lily. She had left Dom and Keenan, who were now sucking face on the dance floor, to join Rose, Lorcan, Molly and Lucy. He walked up behind her and leaned down to whisper, "Dance with me," in as seductive a voice as he could muster. She jerked, surprised that he was so close, and met his gaze. She nodded and he took her hand, leading her to the dance floor. _Take that, Scamander,_ he thought viciously, and wrapped his arms around Lily's back in such a possessive manner that he knew no one would dare interrupt them for the rest of the night.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: I own nothing. All belongs to J.K. Rowling, of course!

Chapter Five

Lily was laying with one arm arcoss Scorpius' chest, her messy hair in her face, chewing on the fingernails of the hand her chin was resting on. He was fast asleep, and it was the middle of the night, but she couldn't sleep.

This man could seriously fuck.

After stumbling in from the pub for their second consecutive night of lovemaking, they'd spent what seemed like hours pleasuring each other until they fell asleep from sheer exhaustion. But her slumber had not lasted long—she'd awoken feeling quite alert. For the last hour she'd spend her time gazing out the window at the busy London street below Scorpius' flat, and carefully watching his face. She loved watching him sleep, because she could stare without the fear of being caught. His chiseled jaw and blue eyes were so damn sexy that she couldn't look away.

Finally, she decided she couldn't just sit there and stare at him any longer, so she quietly slid out of bed and rummaged around the room until she found his button up shirt, putting it on and observing his room. He had minimal décor, but it wasn't completely awful. Needing a snack, she slipped silently into the kitchen and rummaged around until she found a pack of crackers. There was an open bottle of wine in the refridgerator, so she poured herself a glass and wandered around the rest of the apartment. His bookshelf was fully stocked—he had quite the assortment, ranging from his old Hogwarts textbooks to muggle novels and ancient philosophy. Under the bookshelf was a filing cabinet, which looked as if it were typically locked, but was ajar. She knew she shouldn't, but she couldn't help herself—she opened the top drawer and peeked inside.

Gingerly pawing through the papers, she came across many boring documents, and a lot of what seemed like mundane Ministry notices. Finally, at the back, there was a folder labeled PHOTOS. She took it out and flipped it open.

First, there was a stiff photo of Scorpius and his parents and grandparents. Lily recognized Draco and Astoria Malfoy, along with Lucius and Narcissa. Her mother had told her that Draco had really softened up after he married Astoria, and that after the war he had suffered severe anxiety. According to Ginny Potter, the only thing that seemed to keep him grounded and connected to the real world was his wife, but by the looks of this very obviously posed photo, Lily doubted that their home was as warm and comfortable as her own. Even Scorpius, who always seemed so calm, looked twitchy and nervous.

The second photo was Scorpius on his broomstick at Hogwarts. His hair was blowing in the wind, and he had a true smile on his face. She couldn't help but smile at the photo—she missed those days. Although the Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch rivalry was still alive and well, she'd always looked forward to the matches for the simple reason that she had a chance to observe him in action. He had always been talented, but was never one of the more aggressive players on the Slytherin team. She, on the other hand, had inherited from both her parents a competitive spirit at the game.

The third photo was of Scorpius standing outside the Ministry, most likely right after he got his job. There was a fourth photo of him with his Hogwarts diploma, wand in hand, forced smile on his face. It seemed to Lily that all of the pictures taken when his parents were in the vicinity were strained—he must have truly been unhappy at home. No wonder he'd spent so many holidays with Al and James at her house.

As she was closing the folder to put it back in the filing cabinet, a newspaper clipping fell out. She reached down to pick it up and gasped, startled. Staring back up at her was her own face, smiling and waving to the camera. This was a relatively recent picture—she remembered it well. The Daily Prophet had caught her and Dominique at a charity event and snapped a photo of the famous "Potter Daughter" as she was known in the media. The picture had been taken shortly before she'd been hired on at the paper, or else she wouldn't have allowed it's publication. At least she looked decent in it. The truly curious thing was that Scorpius had very obviously cut Dominique out of the photo—there was a clear scissor line right next to where Dom should have been. Lily felt herself blushing. Had he kept this photo just because she was in it?

She heard Scorpius coughing from the bedroom, and hastily shoved the folder back where she found it. She stood and entered the bedroom slyly, wineglass in hand. Scorpius was leaning against the headboard, hands behind his head. "God, you look sexy like that. Wear my clothes all the time?" she laughed. "I was getting a little worried, I was afraid you'd left without saying goodbye."

She walked back to the bed and flopped down beside him, taking a long sip of the wine. "I couldn't sleep."

"I'm having a hard time myself. Perhaps we should just give up and do something else." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. She giggled again.

"I would, but I feel like any more tonight and I'll be extremely sore in the morning. Besides, I'm really hungry."

"Help yourself to anything in the kitchen." He said seriously.

"I ate some crackers," She nodded to her glass. "and stole some wine. "

"Hmm." He leaned over, took the glass, set it on the table and reached around to grab her around the waist. "What would you say to a late night snack? There's a little diner around the corner that I'm pretty sure never closes."

She buried her face in his shoulder and nodded. "That would be good, except the only thing I have to wear is my red skirt."

"And that's a problem why…?" Scorpius joked. "By the way, that outfit was fantastic. I could barely hold it together when you walked in tonight."

She pulled back and touched his face. They sat like that for a moment, gazing at each other, completely intertwined. Finally, she pulled away and stood up. "I really am hungry, so I bet I can figure something out." She grabbed her wand from on top of his dresser, pointed it at the button down shirt she had on, and said "_Engorgio!" _The shirt immediately lengthened enough to pass cover the tops of her knees. She slipped on the leather jacket over top of the shirt and slid her feet back into her stilleto shoes. "Ta da!" she smiled, spinning a circle and modeling her new outfit for Scorpius.

He shook his head. "Amazing. You could make a potato sack look sexy, but I've got to say, this is one of the best outfits I've ever seen." He stood, naked, and stretched. Lily couldn't help but let her eyes wander south…and he definitely noticed, smirking. He pulled on a pair of boxer shorts, pants, and a soft tshirt, and grabbed his wand and wallet, and took her hand.

Thirty minutes later, the pair were in a comfortable booth, with steaming cups of coffee in front of them. Lily knew the muggles in the restaurant were judging her appearance—a few of the burly looking men had given her looks that made her a bit uncomfortable, but she ignored the feeling since she was out with Scorpius. On a date. Or, at least, a post sex meal. That had to count for something?

He was tracing his fingers along the rim of his cup lazily, staring into her eyes. The motion was not helping her forget where those fingers had been only hours earlier… she tried to snap out of this reverie and focus, but honestly all she wanted to do was kiss him while she still had the chance.

"I want to get to know you, Lily." He suddenly said softly, in a very serious tone.

"You do know me." She laughed. "You spent nearly ever summer at my place for about six years. We've spent loads of time together."

"That's true, but I want to REALLY know you. I want to know what makes you happy, and what goals you have, and your favorite song, and your favorite drink…" he trailed off, his hand stopping. She sucked in a breath. It was almost as if he were going to make a serious confession, but thought better of it. "I don't know what this is between us, but I like it. And if you like it too, I don't want it to stop."

She leaned closer to him, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I don't want it to stop." She was mesmerized by his eyes.

"Good." He murmured, leaning forward to touch her face and push a lock of strawberry hair behind her ear.

They ate in almost complete silence, only occasionally commenting about something random or trivial. Finally, after they finished eating, Scorpius threw some muggle money on the table and grabbed her hand. "I have an idea." He smiled.

"What is it?"

"We're going to play a game." As if he couldn't even wait to get home, he apparated them back to his flat, landing straight in his bedroom. Once there, he led her to the bed, sat her down, and began kissing down her neck. She shivered. He pushed her jacket off her shoulders. "What makes you happy?" She giggled, finally understanding the plan. He was going to ask her questions leading up to sex.

"This is making me really happy right now. And Quidditch—flying and being outside are some of my favorites. And being with my family, especially when everyone is together being loud and crazy and I can kind of just sit back and watch…" he nodded against her collarbone where he was beginning to unbutton the buttons on his shirt. As he pushed it off her shoulder, he asked her another question.

"What are your goals?" She laughed gleefully, thinking about how cute it was that he was actually asking her the same questions he'd asked her in the order he'd asked at the café.

"I want to make a name for myself without just being known as 'Potter's Daugher'. I want to lead a simple, quite life, out of trouble, surrounded by the people I love." She was temporarily at a loss for words, as she was now completely naked except for her stiletto booties, and he was kissing down the inside of her thigh.

"What's your favorite song?" he was unzipping down the side of one of her shoes.

She could barely think. It was hard to form a coherent sentence, with his fingers trailing her legs like that…

The first song that popped into her mind spilled out of her lips like word vomit. "In My Place by Coldplay." He stopped. _Shit. _Could he possibly remember? She momentarily lapsed into memory land, thinking of Teddy and Victorie's wedding all those years ago. Scorpius had been a seventh year, she was a fifth year. They had been alone at the table at the reception, while everyone else danced. Finally, he'd reached out his hand and swung her onto the dancefloor, pulling her close as they swayed to the music. Every time she heard the song, she thought of him. But he couldn't possibly remember that, could he?

Whether he did or not, he didn't say. He simply resumed kissing down her other ankle and asked the final question.

"Favorite drink?"

"Coconut firewhiskey." He laughed.

"I already knew that one. I've seen you drink it every weekend for over a year now." He looked up at her, and she grabbed the bottom of his tshirt.

"My turn." She pulled the shirt off his head and licked between his abs. He groaned. "When you said that first night that you'd wanted to fuck me for a long time—were you being serious?" She didn't dare look at his face after asking such a bold question.

"Yes." He said immediately. "Lily Potter, you were the first girl I was ever attracted to…like that. I've wanted to shag you for years."

She blushed, and continued kissing downward to conceal it. She undid his belt and pulled down his trousers. "What are your goals, Scorpius?"

He sighed. "I want to be happy. I want to be truly happy, not like my parents. I want to be able to do what I want and not be afraid of what anyone would think of me for it. I want to be spontaneous."

Now she was naked, nearly straddling him, and pulling off his boxers. "What makes you happy?"

He grabbed her arms as she slid back up from taking his last article of clothing off. He looked at her very seriously and said, "You. Here. This." Then he kissed her. Lily could have been imagining it, but it felt like he was trying to convince her in that single kiss that he meant it. And in that moment, she knew that nothing would ever make her happier than being here with Scorpius.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: I own nothing. All belongs to J.K. Rowling, of course!

Chapter Six

Scorpius couldn't remember ever being so happy. For the past week, Lily had been sneaking over to his flat after work, pretending to be off with Dom or Rose or some of her other cousins.

"You need to get your own flat." He sighed on afternoon as they lay naked in his bed, watching the sun set out the window.

"I will eventually. But I don't know if I want to stay in London forever."

He looked at her sharply. The thought of Lily leaving was…horrible. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know. I mean I like being near my family, but I don't think I want to be in the city my whole life. I'd kinda like to go somewhere quiet, like Godric's Hollow maybe."

He considered this. Harry and Ginny owned a country home in Godric's Hollow. He'd played Quidditch with James and Lily there a few summers during their Hogwarts days. It was peaceful there…he could see Lily fitting into that life. But he wouldn't worry about that now.

A few days later, he received an owl from his mother, summoning him to dinner that evening. Groaning, he sent Lily a quick note letting her know he wouldn't be available that night. When his mother wanted him over dinner, it was best not to argue. After work that afternoon, he put on his best shirt and blazer, threw on a Slytherin tie and apparated to Malfoy Manor.

The first thing he noticed when he arrived was his grandfather, sitting in an armchair beside the fire. Lucius was looking frailer at every visit. "Hello, Grandfather."

"Scorpius." Lucius simply nodded, making no effort to stand or embrace his grandson. He just averted his eyes and continued staring out the window. Scorpius knew that Lucius was disappointed that his only grandson was so liberal when choosing friends—the Malfoy's had never approved of his friendship with the Potters, and it had been a constant struggle over the years to persuade them to allow him to visit the Potter household. He had tried again and again to prove himself—getting superior marks, passing his OWLs and NEWTs with flying colors, making Head Boy, getting a prestigious job at the Ministry—but it never seemed to be enough. He sighed and made his way into the dining room.

"Hello, Mother." He spoke to Astoria Malfoy as he entered the room to find her setting the table.

"Scorpius, darling! I'm so glad to see you." His mother kissed his cheek and smiled widely. Of all of his family members, Astoria was the one he could tolerate the most. Although she had frequently allowed his father and grandfather to push her around in ways that Scorpius hated, she was generally loving towards him. They had a solid relationship, even though he wished she would stand up for herself more often.

Scorpius took some of the flatware from his mother's hand and began helping her set the table. Draco strode into the room and observed his son. "Scorpius, we have something important to discuss."

"Hello to you, too, Father." Scorpius responded sarcastically.

"There is a Ministry ball next week."

"Yes, I'm aware of that, as I'm the one who works there, not you."

Draco ignored his son's snide remark. "You're expected to bring a date. I assume you've thought of this already?" Fuck. Scorpius hadn't thought about it at all. Of course his first choice would be Lily, but that wouldn't fly with his parents, he was sure. Before they started sleeping together, he always took Veronica Goyle, the pureblood daughter of his father's old friend. Veronica was mildly attractive, and on occasion they had been…intimate, but he had no real feelings for her. His parents, however, adored Veronica. "I see that you haven't. I'll send Gregory an owl tomorrow then and let him know you'll be escorting Veroinca."

Scorpius was already shaking his head. "No, no, I want to take someone else this time."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Really? Who?"

"Lily Potter."

Draco started laughing, and Astoria looked frightened for Scorpius' sanity. "You can't be serious?"

"Yes, I am. She's a perfectly respectable girl. She has a job working for the _Daily Prophet." _Scorpius was trying desperately not to sound defensive.

"My son will never escort a _Potter_ to a Ministry function. It's bad enough that you associate with the men in that family, especially the homosexual—people already think enough about our preferences when choosing friends. Let alone if they found out you were romantically involved with the spawn of a Potter/Weasley gene pool? No, Scorpius, you will be taking Veronica to the ball. There is no more to discuss about the matter."

"Lily, you're positively glowing." Dominique teased. Lily was lounging on the couch in the renovated basement of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, smiling to herself.

"I can't help it."

Dom laughed. "You're in looove." She teased. Lily didn't say anything. Was she in love? Probably. Scorpius was all she thought about. He was perfect. Smoking hot, great at sex, sweet and sensitive, a friend of her family so she knew they would already be thrilled if they found out…

The doorbell rang upstairs. "I'll get it." Lily stood and skipped up the stairs. She threw it open to find Lorcan standing out in the rain, his hair dripping wet. "Lorcan! Come in! What are you doing here?"

"I was in the neighborhood and decided to say hello." He followed her into the entry way and took off his jacket, revealing a thin tshirt that clung to his surprisingly toned chest muscles. A tiny part of her brain noticed this and pondered upon when Lorcan had become so good-looking.

"Come downstairs, Dominique and I were just chatting. Can I get you something to drink?"

"A butterbeer would be nice." He replied, taking in the surroundings of the plush basement den. "Hello, Dominique."

"Hey, Lorcan." She smiled.

"Sorry if I interrupted your conversation." Lorcan said, politely thanking Lily for the butterbeer she placed in his hand.

"It's fine, we were just discussing Lily's love life." Dominique announced bluntly, earning a murderous glare from Lily.

"Ah, yes, your boyfriend was quite jealous to see you talking with me the other night."

Lily blushed deeply. Lorcan was so observant—he got it from his mother. "He's not my boyfriend. And did he really seem jealous?"

"Oh, yes. If looks could kill I would have been assassinated the moment I hugged you. And then when the two of you went to dance he was clearly trying to make it known to me that you were off limits." Lorcan took a swig of his drink, is eyes observing Lily closely. "I hope I don't overstep the boundaries of our friendship, Lily, but I feel I must tell you that I get a bad feeling from that man."

Dominique giggled. She was sitting with her chin in her hands, enthralled with the direction this conversation was going.

"Really? Why?" Lily asked. Her brothers thought Lorcan and his brother were full of it, but she had learned over the years that they, like their mother, had an uncanny ability to read people.

"He clearly cares for you—I don't doubt that. And I'm sure he's an upstanding wizard. I just doubt that his intentions are the same as yours. But I am frequently wrong when meeting people for the first time." This was a lie, Lily knew, he was just being modest. "Don't stress yourself out about it, I just don't want to see you get hurt."

Lily considered this. Her greatest fear was that Scorpius was only interested in sex—but hadn't she made clear to him that sex was all SHE wanted? This was all becoming too confusing. Their midnight date the other night and the twenty questions that had followed had seemed so intimate—surely if he were only interested in sleeping with her, he wouldn't have admitted that she made him happy? Or was that just a line?

Her thought was interrupted by the doorbell ringing upstairs again. She vaguely heard her mother yelling that she would answer it, and soon another set of footsteps were bounding down the basement stairs.

"Lily! I need to talk to—" Rose's voice cut off when she noticed Lorcan sitting in the armchair closest to the stairs. He was still dripping wet from the rain, his eyelashes clumped together. "Hey there."

"Hello." Lorcan stood, gazing at Rose. Dominiqe shot Lily an inquisitive look, and Lily just shrugged in response. Lorcan and Rose just stared at each other for a moment, and then Rose shook her head, as if coming out of a fog.

"Yeah, Lily, I just needed to tell you something…"

"Rose? What is it? And why are you still standing on the stairs?" Dominique was stifiling a laugh at this point, as Rose practically glided down the last few stairs tripping on the bottom step, her eyes still locked on Lorcan. He extended an arm to help steady her when she almost fell, and Lily felt the urge to laugh as well.

"Ministry. The Ministry is having a ball next week. I thought you might want to get a dress in case Scorpius asks you."

Dominique squealed. "This means shopping!"

Lily nodded in response, her head trying to process this. Maybe Scorpius would ask her…but she found herself distracted by the way her old friend was staring at her cousin, and even stranger, the way her cousin was staring right back…


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: All belongs to J.K. Rowling. I wasn't planning on writing another chapter tonight, but I was really inspired by Adele's "Turning Tables" for this chapter. Listen to it while you read the last half of the chapter for mood music : )

Chapter Seven

Lily was dressed to the nines. Albus and Dominique had tag teamed her hair and makeup for this outing, and she gazed at herself in the mirror, wishing she could look like this every day. Her floor length royal blue evening gown skimmed the floor, her crystal stiletto heels made her feel like Cinderella. The dress was strapless, and her strawberry hair was tightly curled and pulled behind her head in a high ponytail. Albus had even scored some jewelry from some of his designer friends for Lily to borrow for the evening. A sapphire and diamond choker hung right above her collarbone, and matching sapphire earrings dangled from her ears.

She felt like a princess. She'd never been this dressed up. Dominique had outdone herself when finding the gown. The only thing missing was a man on her arm.

Lily had spent the past week dropping hints and wondering if Scorpius was going to invite her to the ball. They'd slept together three nights in a row, staying up late cuddling and talking about everything—from the weather, to their deepest secrets. But he had yet to ask her. She finally gave up, assuming that he either wasn't going, or didn't want to take a date. Then, two days before the ball, he'd mysteriously told her he would be busy for the next few nights and couldn't talk to her.

As disappointed as she was that she wouldn't be attending the ball with Scorpius, Lily's spirits had brightened when her supervisor at the _Prophet_ had assigned her to cover the ball for the weekend edition of the paper, handing her a shiny piece of parchment with the Ministry's emblem embossed on the envelope.

So here she was—the most dressed up she'd ever been in her life, getting ready to attend a highly anticipated Ministry event that would be filled with celebrities and high ranking government officials. She had a Quick Quotes Quill in her bag, ready to go. Albus and Dominique sprayed her hair one final time with spray and perfume, and she was out the door.

The Ministry was filled with more people than she had ever seen. Of course her parents were there—she'd said goodbye to them an hour ago, complimenting her father's dress robes and her mother's makeup. Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron were there, along with various other cousins and uncles who worked for the Ministry. She said hello to them all and then meandered around on her own for a while. Finally, she bumped into a friendly face—Lorcan, looking dapper with his hair pulled back in a ribbon.

"Lily!" he breathed, taking her by the forearms. "You look lovely! Far too lovely to be standing here. Shall we dance?"

She laughed and allowed her old friend to lead her onto the dancefloor. They waltzed around the other couples, gossiping about the famous people they noticed sitting at the little tables set up around the room. Finally, after a few songs, Lorcan led her to a table and grabbed two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter.

"As fun as this has been, I should get to work." Lily smiled, taking a sip of her champagne. "But I'm sure I'll see you again before the end of the night." He smiled and bowed slightly, walking off in the opposite direction to speak with some of his new coworkers. Lily took out her quill and started rattling off aspects of the ball, a few of the guests, and the general mood of the room in order to prepare for a story she would write after she got home. She interviewed a few ministry workers and inconspicuously eavesdropped on some conversations. Finally, when she thought she had enough to make a solid story, she grabbed another champagne flute and downed it in a single sip. _Time to party._

She wandered around the room in search of Lorcan, who she finally noticed was dancing quite closely with her cousin Rose, when her eyes locked on the most devastating sight she could have imagined. Scorpius—SCORPIUS—the man she had been sleeping with for weeks now—was wrapped in an embrace with Veronica Goyle. Veronica Goyle, a girl who had been a year younger than Lily at Hogwarts—had she even matriculated yet? Lily knew the Goyle's were friends of the Malfoys..but this, this was too much.. she spun on her heel and attempted to run away, but accidentally crashed into a waiter with a tray of champagne. She drew her wand and quickly stopped the flutes from hitting the floor, but it was too late—every eye in the nearby vicinity had turned to her, including Scorpius. "I'm so sorry." She mumbled to the waiter, and picked up the skirt of her dress, running out of the ballroom.

He was hot on her heels. _FUCK. _ His mind repeated over and over again. _Fuck fuck FUCK. _He hadn't expected Lily to be here. Of course she would know about it—her entire fucking family was here, for God's sake…but he hadn't expected her to actually BE HERE. And then to see him with Veronica…right after Veronica had kissed him…he had been trying to push her away when he heard the crash. He'd been trying to explain to Veronica all night that he wasn't interested in anything more than friendship with her anymore, but she was very persistent.

He chased Lily outside the ballroom until she slowed in the atrium of the Ministry, which was quite deserted. She stopped and raised her palms to her forehead, staring up at the ceiling.

"Lily! Lily, wait, I didn't know you'd be here!"

"It's fine, Scorpius. I shouldn't be surprised. I knew there was nothing more between us than sex." She was actually _crying. _FUCK.

"No! There is more going on!" he wanted to say more, but wasn't sure what. What was going on? They weren't together. Neither had ever made it known that the intention was for a relationship. He was momentarily distracted by how beautiful she looked. Her blue dress contrasted dramatically with her creamy skin, her hair pulled back from her neck made him want to suck her collarbone…

"Really? Because that's news to me! I waited around all week for you to invite me to this, and then you didn't, and I was stupid enough to think that maybe you just weren't coming…" she was dry heaving, doubled over. "I actually thought that maybe you were starting to feel the same way…" she was shaking her head, trying to hold back her tears. "And then I find you snogging Veronica Goyle—are you sleeping with her, too?"

"What! No!"

"Have you?"

He paused. That pause was enough to answer her question. "I see, Scorpius. You know, you're only the second man I've ever been with. I don't just fuck random men that dance with me in the pub. I meant it when I said that I'd wanted to fuck you for years. I wanted much more than that! I've had this irresponsible crush on you, full well knowing that you would never see me as more than the little sister of some friends you hang out with on the weekends. I can't be mad about it, because I offered up sex, and what man would turn that down? But you shouldn't have said all those things…you shouldn't have made me think…that I was special…that you cared…" She stopped because she was crying so much that she literally couldn't go on. He was speechless.

"I did mean those things! I had no idea how you really felt about me! And you have no idea how stressful it is—my parents disapprove of a friendship with Al and James, you don't know how they would react to me being with you…"

"Oh, so your parents control your life now, Scor? And you don't have enough balls to stand up to them because they don't think I'm good enough?" she looked him directly in the eye for the first time, her tear-stained cheeks glistening in the light. "Or is that what you think too? That I'm not good enough?" This part came as a whisper, and he just wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her senseless to prove that she was wrong.

"NO! You're perfect, Lily Luna Potter, absolutely perfect. These weeks with you have been like a dream, and I had to pinch myself every morning when I woke up to prove it was real because I've been in love with you since I was about sixteen years old…"

"Oh, you're in love with me, now? But you can't ask me on a proper date, you have to take me to a café at two in the morning? And escort another girl to your work party? Sounds just like love to me." She spat at him sarcastically, and he literally had no response.

They stood there, staring at each other, for a brief moment, when the atrium door opened. He turned, prepared to hex anyone who came and interrupted them. As if his night couldn't get any worse, Lorcan Scamander came strolling in.

"Lily, are you alright?" Lorcan asked quietly.

"Listen man, just stay out of this—" Scoripus began angrily.

"Lorcan, will you take me home?" Lily asked. Scorpius turned back to her, horrified, but she didn't meet his gaze. Lorcan walked up to her, rubbed her shoulders consolingly, and led her towards the coat room.

"Lily, wait, this isn't over!" Scorpius cried desperately.

"Yeah, Scorp, I think it is." She turned back to him, laughing through her tears. "It's over before it even began."

Please review! Tell me what you think and what you think is going to happen next!


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: All belongs to J.K. Rowling. My song inspiration for this chapter is "End of May" by Michael Buble. Thanks for the fantastic reviews, keep 'em comin! I'm so glad you all like this story so far!

Chapter Eight

Scorpius was devastated. He hadn't moved from his bed all day. After Lily had fled from the ball with her _friend _he'd quickly gathered his own belongings and stormed out, leaving Veronica quite confused. She'd offered to come home with him, but he couldn't imagine spending time with anyone else right now. He'd have to brood alone.

Lily was right. He didn't have any courage. He _loved_ her, for crying out loud, and that should bloody well be enough for him to stand up to his family. He was a complete and total prat.

Why hadn't he just asked her? Or simply not gone to the ball…although, why should he feel that he needed to hide their relationship?

He had to find her. The thought of losing what he had with Lily only weeks after it had begun was excruciating. He had to make a big gesture. Do something that would win her back. He needed to prove to her that it wasn't just sex, that he actually cared more than she believed.

He kept replaying her words over and over in his head. She thought he only saw her as the little sister of some friends he hung out with on the weekends? Honestly, some of Albus' overdramatic panic attacks had been almost too much to handle over the years—and even though he cared deeply about his friend, he stuck around during some of the most annoying moments for the sole purpose that he would get to spend time with Lily.

As if Albus could hear these internal musings, Scorpius heard his old friend banging on the door. _Speak of the devil and he shall appear_, he groaned inwardly, as Albus screamed, "SCORPIUS! Answer this damn door right now. We have to talk." There was a microscopic pause, and then Albus continued with, "You KNOW how good my _alohamora _spell is, do NOT make me use it!"

"Fine, fine, fine, I'm coming." Scorpius struggled to the door, barely noticing the fact that he was shirtless in boxers. He tugged a hand through his hair, which stuck up in all directions. He threw open the door to fine Albus lounging against the frame, wearing a skintight pair of jeans and vneck tshirt, designer brand sunglasses atop his head.

"You look like shit, Scorp." He said as he brushed past his friend into the living room, perching on the arm of the couch. Scorpius' mind flashed to Lily perched there, only a few nights ago, her head thrown back in pleasure as he…

He shook his head, trying to dispel the image. "What are you doing here, Al?"

"I knew you'd be in one of your pouty moods, and honestly, no one else is going to want to talk to you once they find out what happened last night." Al raised an eyebrow and appraised his friend. When Scorpius said nothing, Al continued. "How could you do that to her, Scorp? I mean I know you've been blind to the fact that Lily has loved you for years, but how could you blatantly take another girl out after you'd been sleeping with my sister? If you hadn't been leading her on, she wouldn't have minded that you took Veronica to the ball…she's been jealously pining away over you for years, but you give her a taste and then snatcht it right away…"

"What do you mean, she's loved me for years?" Scorpius bellowed suddenly. He was shocked, and skeptical, and quite frankly furious with Albus for choosing to reveal this information now…

"It really is my fault, I suppose." Albus sighed, inspecting his cuticles. "It was a bit of a social experiment, on my part, waiting to see how long it would take the pair of you to get together. I knew she was crazy over you, of course, Lily tells me everything. I _thought_ I knew how you felt, I mean I knew you were sexually attracted to her because of those wet dreams at Hogwarts and the animalistic look you give her sometimes, but I couldn't be sure that you actually cared about her, so I figured I'd let you find out for yourself what your emotions really were."

It was hard to be mad at Albus after an explanation like that. Scorpius sighed. "It's not your fault, Al, I should have done something about it sooner. I've been so wrapped up in what my family expects of me that I was too blind to see that we actually had the potential to be together. But by the time I saw it, I had already fucked up and pushed it away…" he shook his head and put it in his hands.

"You think Lily doesn't understand living up to expectations?" Albus spat, his eyes shining angrily. "Our parents may not shove their plans for us down our throats like your parents do, but Lily has lived in the spotlight her entire life. Don't you read the tabloids? They criticize everything she does. Her hair, her clothes, her _weight_…" Albus shook his head. "Lily has NEVER believed she was sexy, or smart enough. Imagine living in the shadow of Dominique, a fucking veela for God's sake, and Rose, who is setting herself up to be Minister of Magic someday, as you well know. There's a reason Lily's always been the shy one, Scorp, so don't even talk to me about living up to expectations."

Scorpius was speechless. He'd never guessed that Lily took the criticism so hard—she always brushed it off like it was nothing. He could clearly remember the harsh articles over the years—saying that she was a disappointment to her father's heroism, that she was living in her mother's shadow by taking the job at the _Prophet_…Now that he thought about it he clearly remembered a particularly brutal Quidditch match, where he the snitch had slipped right through her fingers and the Ravenclaw seeker snatched it, ending the match. Lily had locked herself in Gryffindor Tower for days and refused to talk to anyone, which threw both Albus and Scorpius into a frenzied panic. Scorpius had never wished he was in Gryffindor more. A few days later, the _Daily Prophet _had published a terrible article claiming that Harry and Ginny Potter were disappointed that none of their children had seemed to live up to the bravery and skill shown in the old days, and that they wondered how Lily had even made it into Gryffindor at all, since she clearly belonged in Hufflepuff. This was rubbish, of course, and the paper printed a retraction after Harry angrily complained to the editor. The other students assured Lily that the article was crap, and she had laughed it off like it didn't bother her in the slightest, but looking back, Scorpius could see that she was deeply hurt by the allegations.

"I just don't know what to do." He finally said. "I can't lose her, Al, not right when I've finally realized what she means to me."

"Well…" Albus leaned forward to rest his hands on his knees "We'll just have to come up with a plan to winner her back, won't we?"

Meanwhile, Lily was puffy eyed and struggling across town at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. Rose, always the morning person, had arrived bearing scones and coffee, and practically dragged Lily out of bed. Harry and Ginny were clueless—they were worried that their daughter had stayed up crying for hours after she returned from the ball, but didn't ask questions since Lily was a grown witch.

Rose had force fed Lily the scone and dragged the story out of her. The good thing about Rose was that she was able to stay calm and collected in any situation. She patiently listened to the whole saga, and didn't react to the tearful description of their conversation in the atrium. Just as Lily was finishing the story, Dominique burst into Lily's bedroom. "Lils! Ohmygod, so sorry it took me so long to get here." Dom panted, pushing her hair back from her face. She was clearly still wearing pajamas, and Lily guessed she had apparated as soon as she woke up. Dominique took a seat next to Rose at the foot of Lily's unmade bed. "Tell me everything."

"I just filled Rose in, I don't feel like going through it all again, Dom, sorry."

"Fine then, you tell me, Rose." Dominique demanded, and helped herself to a scone from the bag.

Rose glanced at her flighty cousin with a judgmental look, but proceeded to give Dominique the short version anyway. Dom had far more reactions than Rose had, screaming the occasional, "What the fuck?" or "What an asshole!" Lily simply listened, and busied herself by taking out her Quick Quotes Quill and beginning to review the notes from the night before. She really needed to push all thoughts of Scorpius out of her mind until she could finish her story and make her deadline this afternoon—she could cry all she wanted over him after that.

After Rose finished explaining the story, both of Lily's cousins glanced at her nervously. They were mirror images of concern—Dominique with her messy hair piled in a bun on the back of her head, not a stitch of makeup but still looking beautiful, and Rose, in her prim cardigan with her hair pulled back in a practical ponytail at the nape of her neck. Lily often considered how lucky she was to have so many different personalities in her family—no matter what kind of reaction or advice she was looking for, there would always be someone to turn to.

"So what are you going to do, Lils?" Dominique asked quietly, nibbling on the end of her scone.

"I think the answer to that is obvious." Rose said decisively. "She needs to forget about him. He clearly is only interested in one thing, and doesn't care enough about her not to consider her feelings in all of this." She looked absently out the window. "Trust me, Lily, there are plenty of men out there who care about a woman's emotions. You just have to get over this bizarre attraction to Scorpius Malfoy first."

Dominique snorted. "Plenty of men who care about emotions? Like who?"

"Like Lorcan Scamander." Rose smiled serenely.

"Oh, Rose! I'm sorry I stole him away last night." Lily said abruptly. "He and Rose were dancing, but then he saw me crying and brought me home." She responded to Dom's questioning look.

"It's alright, we're going on a date today." Rose replied, grinning.

"You're what?" Dominique squealed. "Never thought I'd see the day. Rose Weasley, giddy over a man. And the son of one Luna Lovegood, no less! I'd love to see your mum's reaction to that."

Rose rolled her eyes. "I am not _giddy_. And Mum won't find out for quite a while—it's only one date, after all. I'm quite suspicious about the whole affair—I never paid him any attention before he moved back to London, but I'm quite certain we're complete opposites. In all probability the date will be a disaster and we'll be left sitting without anything to talk about."

"I think you'll have more in common than you think." Lily said knowingly. "Lorcan may come from eccentric parents, but he's actually very serious and grounded. I'm sure you'll get along splendidly." She turned to Dom. "What about you? How's Keenan?"

Dominique sighed and flopped down onto her stomach. "I'm not sure. We get along great, and he's everything I could ever want, but it's just nothing serious for now. I don't think he's looking to get married or anything, and even if he was, I could never do that."

"Why?" Rose asked, picking at her fingernails. "You've always wanted a hot, rich man to take care of you."

"Please." Dom rolled her eyes. "I don't need taking care of. I just can't really wrap my head around the concept of commitment. What if I commit myself to Keenan, and then some other hottie comes along? I just don't think I'm ready to settle down and stick with one guy for the rest of my life."

No one said anything for a while. Finally, Rose looked back at Lily. "You never answered the question, Lily. What are you going to do about Scorpius?"

Lily flicked her wand and shut the notebook her Quick Quotes Quill was hovering over. "Well, right now, I'm going to put him in the back of my mind and write one killer story for tomorrow's edition of the _Prophet_. After that, I don't know." She sighed miserably. "I can't forget about him and move on, Rose, don't look at me like that. It's not that easy—I've had feelings for him since I was about eleven. But I'm not going to go chasing after him either. I'm not sure I can forgive him for this." Dominique sat up and gazed at Lily interestedly. "I want us to get back to the friends-zone, just because I'll want him in my life and I don't want to make things awkward for James and Al and everyone else. But I can't just keep fucking him while he does God knows what with any other girl."

Suddenly, an owl pecked at Lily's window. She stood and opened it, taking the attached note from the unknown owl's beak. The owl looked like a regular post owl—who would be sending her mail anonymously?

"Who's it from?" Dom asked.

Lily tore the note open and scanned the parchment. Her heart dropped when she noticed the all-too-familiar handwriting. "Scorpius."


End file.
